Education system is in turmoil

The Olympian • Published September 05, 2008

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The quality of education in Washington state schools got mixed reviews last week with the release of student test scores and publication of a list of struggling schools failing to achieve federal academic standards.

On the positive side, for the sixth consecutive year, the average scores of Washington students on the SAT college entrance exam were the highest in the nation among states in which more than half of the eligible students took the tests.

Washington high school students in the class of 2008 did about as well on the SAT as their classmates from the year before, but the scores were well above the national average.

"Our scores, compared to the rest of the nation, speak volumes about the quality of education students in this state are receiving," said Terry Bergeson, Washington's superintendent of public instruction.

According to The College Board, the average SAT scores in Washington for 2008 were 526 in reading, 533 in math and 509 in writing. The national SAT averages were 502, 515 and 494, respectively. A perfect score is 2400, or 800 points in each of the test's three sections.

The caution here is that SAT scores do not give a statewide picture of how Washington high school students are doing, because only a little more than half of each graduating class takes the college entrance exam.

WASL results

The good news on the SAT scores was muted with the release of scores on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. The WASL is a standardized test that measures learning among students in selected grades in the areas of reading, writing, math and science.

Statewide, Washington students made slight gains in the science and writing portions of the WASL, but fourth- and seventh-graders scored lower in math and reading.

According to Bergeson, more than 86 percent of Washington's seniors have passed both reading and writing portions of the test. But if passing the math WASL were still a graduation requirement, only 61.5 percent of the seniors would be done with testing. The possibility that almost 40 percent of high school seniors would not graduate brought pressure on lawmakers and Gov. Chris Gregoire to back off the standards and delay the math requirement.